You know Tasha Layton from soaring power ballads like “Look What You’ve Done” and “Never,” but have you heard her new song, “Thank You Isn’t Enough (feat. The Choir Room)”? The upbeat anthem of gratitude is a certified jam. It previews what’s to come from the talented songstress as she readies her sophomore studio LP, due later this year. After a pop-centric debut, a Christmas record, a live holiday offering and a live worship recording, Layton is poised to unveil a fresh collection of music that feels like a healthy fusion of everything she’s released thus far as a solo artist. We recently caught up with the former Katy Perry backup singer to get the scoop on her upcoming album, find out if we can hear these new songs live before the end of the year (Spoiler Alert: She’s headlining a tour this fall!), and uncover the one daily habit she can’t do without.
K-LOVE: Your latest single, “Thank You Isn’t Enough (feat. The Choir Room),” is such a bop. How did that song come about?
Tasha: It’s so fun. When we wrote this song, I think we had maybe written another song that day, and then within the last 30 minutes, we were like, “You know what? Let’s try to write another one.” We were just really excited to write something that showed the joy of salvation and life in Christ. I think it’s easy for songwriters to go to the pain and stay there, or at least stay in our serious mode. It’s harder to write something that is full of joy. Sometimes when the weight of the world is on our shoulders, joy is the first thing to go. I just wanted to write something that really showcased what God has done in my heart and the joy I feel from it. I think you feel that when you hear it.
K-LOVE: You’ve been writing for your second studio project for quite some time. What can you tell us about your new record?
Tasha: It’s pretty much done. I’m really proud of the songs we’ve written. I think there’s a nice balance of everything on the record between more pop-style songs, some ballads and some worship. It’s probably two ticks toward worship — corporate worship — than the last record, and I love that.
K-LOVE: Was that intentional?
Tasha: Yeah, because I miss leading worship. When I started doing what I’m doing now, I didn’t intend to write a lot of CCM songs. It’s just what was coming out. I was trusting God to do with those what He wanted, and He did. I think now, I’m in a different season, and what’s coming out has been a little bit more corporate worship. Having been a worship leader my whole life, I feel like we’ve balanced it out a little bit. It’s a little bit more well-rounded.
K-LOVE: Do you feel like releasing your first live worship record [“Worship Through It (Live)”] helped pave the way for this next chapter of music?
Tasha: Sure. I thought it was important to just stay true to what God is doing in my life. I didn’t want to be inauthentic in any way or just do what I thought people wanted, necessarily, because I don’t think that’s the right motivation. I wanted to stay true to what God was giving me. I think when you do that, you get what He wants.
K-LOVE: Were there particular events in your personal life that inspired a lot of these songs?
Tasha: Yeah. I have a song coming out with Colton Dixon called “Hindsight.” The premise is, basically, looking back on those moments where you weren’t sure what God was doing or where He was. They say hindsight’s 20/20. When you look back, in hindsight you realize where He was. I think that’s a great encapsulation of my testimony and the healing that’s happened in my life. Every single time I’ve looked back on certain memories, trauma — all that stuff — when I can point to where He was, healing comes.
Then I also have a song called “The One You Love.” I love that song so much, and it’s all about how precious we are to His heart. I have a special guest on that song, too, that I’m not going to give away.
K-LOVE: You’ve been doing more and more collaborations these days with everyone from TobyMac to Chris Brown (Elevation Worship). It sounds like this upcoming project finds you collaborating more as well. Is that accurate?
Tasha: We do have a few collaborations on the record, which I’m excited about. Up until this point, in this weird way, I was trying to separate myself [from collaborating], not to isolate, but just to make sure that I was listening to God for myself. Just following what He said, and that didn’t really include a lot of collaborations. Sometimes you can lose your identity if you move too quickly to diversify. I felt like I was in a little bit of a bubble with the Father, and now, I feel like I’m out of that bubble. I love collaboration, and I love all the other artists in our space so much that I’m excited, now, to do things with people.
K-LOVE: Does your new record have a title and a release date yet?
Tasha: It’s called “Life In Me,” and it will be out this fall.
K-LOVE: Will fans be able to hear these new songs live? What are your touring plans?
Tasha: I have a fall headlining tour. Jonathan Traylor is direct support, and Cade Thompson is opening. Then after that, I’ll be with [author] Lysa TerKeurst again in November. Then, I have a headlining Christmas tour with Brandon Heath. It’ll be so fun. I love Christmas.
K-LOVE: You host a series on K-LOVE On Demand called “Boundless,” but you also have a non-profit you’ve launched called Boundless. What’s your next step in conjunction with that ministry?
Tasha: I have been working on a conference for Boundless. Basically, they would be day conferences around the country that would serve as a funnel for smaller retreats for inner healing and wholeness. The larger idea would be to have speakers talking on mental health, but within a Christian framework. I envision having workshops during the day to work through the Boundless process together. Then nighttime would be just a wonderful celebration of what happened during the day. We have piloted this in certain ways over the last couple of years, and I feel like we’re ready to launch it.
K-LOVE: Now that you’ve found your voice as a Christian artist and have experienced some success in this genre, what have you learned that you’re taking with you into this next season of ministry and music?
Tasha: I think my time in the Word of God is crucial to everything I do in a way that I may have even underestimated at the beginning. Being careful to hear the Father’s voice over my life, instead of comparing myself to other artists…I think if you don’t know who you are and you’re not grounded in Christ and in the Word, it can really shake your identity quickly and cause you to compare or feel insecure. I think that [daily time in God’s Word] has been a safeguard for me. I literally can’t miss a day, because I feel it. I have to fight for it. Jesus had to fight for it. What makes us think we don’t have to? He had to sneak away from even the people closest to Him. Being a mom, I have to sneak away, too. I’ve fought for that time, and it’s paid off internally and externally. It keeps the main thing, the main thing, and I’m constantly reminded of who He is and who I am.
K-LOVE: Do you have a particular routine or guide that you follow during your daily time in God’s Word?
Tasha: I’m on a two-year Bible reading plan, which I love; because it’s not as much volume, so I don’t feel stressed out getting it done. I’m intaking smaller excerpts. I’m retaining more and noticing more, and I sit with it. I think writing notes about what I’m reading has also been life-changing. It helps solidify in my memory what I read. It’s just a tactile exercise to help really root it in your brain and in your heart.
